Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageL'Ange Noir (1994)
Director: Jean-Claude Brisseau
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Brisseau s baroque melodrama has a conventional plot - a beautiful but mysterious femme fatale Stéphanie (Vartan, made-up to look like Kim Novak in Vertigo) is on trial for killing a gangster - but the writer/director attacks his material with a gusto that might have made Douglas Sirk blush. Piccoli is Stéphanie's all trusting magistrate husband, blissfully unaware of her double life or quite how often she's cuckolded him. Karyo is the lawyer defending Stéphanie, and he's also secretly in love with her. There are extravagant courtroom scenes, lavish parties with self-consciously overblown music and swooping camerawork. Between times, Brisseau throws in prurient Tinto Brass-style sex scenes, while mercilessly mocking the bourgeoisie by showing up the absurdity of their legal and social customs. The jolts in style are disconcerting and certain scenes verge on the kitsch, but this is still rich and heady fare.Author: GM
Cast & crew
Director: Jean-Claude Brisseau
Producer: Alain Sarde
Cast: Sylvie Vartan, Michel Piccoli, Tchéky Karyo, Alexandra Winisky, Bernard Verley full cast
Duration: 107 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
London Children's Film Festival
Read our exclusive reviews of films playing at the 2009 London Children’s Film Festival
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now